“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven;” Luke 6:37
really, Jesus?!
don’t you understand
how much we want
to judge others, to
put on those robes,
sit high above
all those knuckleheads
and look down our noses
before banging the gavel
and pronouncing sentence?
so delicious,
so wonderful,
such a gratifying experience.
and forgiveness?
that’s for suckers, isn’t it,
or for weak-kneed
lily-livered losers?
after all, who doesn’t like
getting into the face
of someone and letting them
know
exactly how we feel.
is it any wonder,
the rich and powerful
and their religious toadies
are trying to recraft you
into a more macho,
more confrontational,
more like us sort of God?
© 2026 Thom M. Shuman
Venmo: @Thom-Shuman
Saturday, October 03, 2026
Friday, October 02, 2026
October 2nd
“My people consult a piece of wood, and their divining rod gives them oracles.” Hosea 4:12a
back then,
it was a piece of wood,
a stone, a statue of gold or silver,
while today
it is a celebrity, that headline,
maybe a poll, or that glowing screen—
all voices telling us exactly
what we already long to hear.
we ask these modern divining rods
for answers and then wonder
why we cannot hear God.
so maybe that old prophet
would advise us
to mute the anger,
to power down the device,
to quit asking the world
to tell us who we are,
and turn to the One
who does not need
to be programmed,
carved, sculpted, molded,
or supersized—
the God who speaks
in the voices of the forgotten
the God who sits
in the mess with us,
the God who refuses
to turn away from us,
the heart who always
loves us.
© 2026 Thom M. Shuman
Venmo: @Thom-Shuman
back then,
it was a piece of wood,
a stone, a statue of gold or silver,
while today
it is a celebrity, that headline,
maybe a poll, or that glowing screen—
all voices telling us exactly
what we already long to hear.
we ask these modern divining rods
for answers and then wonder
why we cannot hear God.
so maybe that old prophet
would advise us
to mute the anger,
to power down the device,
to quit asking the world
to tell us who we are,
and turn to the One
who does not need
to be programmed,
carved, sculpted, molded,
or supersized—
the God who speaks
in the voices of the forgotten
the God who sits
in the mess with us,
the God who refuses
to turn away from us,
the heart who always
loves us.
© 2026 Thom M. Shuman
Venmo: @Thom-Shuman
Thursday, October 01, 2026
October 1st
“Therefore the land mourns, and all who live in it languish; together with the wild animals and the birds of the air, even the fish of the sea are perishing.” Hosea 4:3
creation has slipped into sackcloth,
birds are dusted with ashes,
fishes mingle their tears with water,
animals wear black armbands—
all bearing the wounds we make.
for we take
without giving thanks,
we consume
without a hint of moderation,
we expend water and air,
land and resources, even people,
as if you were an eternal ATM,
O God, constantly replenishing
everything we want or need.
yet, you are the One through
whom all things were and
and in whom all things
can be made new.
so may the groaning of creation
become the words of our prayer
for repentance which makes us turn
from treating your good earth
as if it were completely disposable,
and our turning into acts of mercy
for your creatures we act as if
their lives do not matter
as much as our own,
and our acts into the holy work
of repairing what we have damaged.
(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman
Venmo: @Thom-Shuman
creation has slipped into sackcloth,
birds are dusted with ashes,
fishes mingle their tears with water,
animals wear black armbands—
all bearing the wounds we make.
for we take
without giving thanks,
we consume
without a hint of moderation,
we expend water and air,
land and resources, even people,
as if you were an eternal ATM,
O God, constantly replenishing
everything we want or need.
yet, you are the One through
whom all things were and
and in whom all things
can be made new.
so may the groaning of creation
become the words of our prayer
for repentance which makes us turn
from treating your good earth
as if it were completely disposable,
and our turning into acts of mercy
for your creatures we act as if
their lives do not matter
as much as our own,
and our acts into the holy work
of repairing what we have damaged.
(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman
Venmo: @Thom-Shuman
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
September 30th
“Praise the Lord!
How good it is to sing praises to our God;
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.” Psalm 147:1
one day it is that
golden oldie which brings back
memories as old as the song,
while at night it is that
earworm of a jingle which
we just can’t stop replaying.
it could be the gentle purring
of the cat next to us
or the soft, contented
thumping of the dog’s tail.
there is the classical melody
played by the wind as it
moves the leaves in trees
on a fall evening
and the cacophony
of pots and pans pulled out
of kitchen cabinets by
bored kids on a rainy day.
it is the last night
at the BBC Proms,
or it could be that student
playing a soft piece
on the saxophone as
their teacher is laid to rest.
praise is that multi-faceted
heirloom of which we
are heirs but for a moment.
© 2026 Thom M. Shuman
How good it is to sing praises to our God;
for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.” Psalm 147:1
one day it is that
golden oldie which brings back
memories as old as the song,
while at night it is that
earworm of a jingle which
we just can’t stop replaying.
it could be the gentle purring
of the cat next to us
or the soft, contented
thumping of the dog’s tail.
there is the classical melody
played by the wind as it
moves the leaves in trees
on a fall evening
and the cacophony
of pots and pans pulled out
of kitchen cabinets by
bored kids on a rainy day.
it is the last night
at the BBC Proms,
or it could be that student
playing a soft piece
on the saxophone as
their teacher is laid to rest.
praise is that multi-faceted
heirloom of which we
are heirs but for a moment.
© 2026 Thom M. Shuman
Venmo: @Thom-Shuman
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
September 29th
and I will sow him for myself in the land. And I will have pity on Lo-ruhamah, and I will say to Lo-ammi, "You are my people"; and he shall say, "You are my God." Hosea 2:23
listen to what God has to say—
to those who are silenced:
you are my closest advisors,
the voices i turn to first.
to the transgender kids
who are bullied by politicians
and ultra-righteous prigs:
you are my Beloved,
I rejoice in you.
to the immigrants who
are turned away by fear:
there is always room
for you in my Community.
to all who bear
the bruises, the scars,
the wounds, the memories
inflicted by the cruel who
claim to care for all:
I wrap you in the shawl
of grace, woven from the
threads of love and hope.
to all the forgotten,
the vulnerable, the discounted,
the lost, the grieving, the lonely:
I am your God,
you are my people,
and always will be.
(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman
Venmo: @Thom-Shuman
listen to what God has to say—
to those who are silenced:
you are my closest advisors,
the voices i turn to first.
to the transgender kids
who are bullied by politicians
and ultra-righteous prigs:
you are my Beloved,
I rejoice in you.
to the immigrants who
are turned away by fear:
there is always room
for you in my Community.
to all who bear
the bruises, the scars,
the wounds, the memories
inflicted by the cruel who
claim to care for all:
I wrap you in the shawl
of grace, woven from the
threads of love and hope.
to all the forgotten,
the vulnerable, the discounted,
the lost, the grieving, the lonely:
I am your God,
you are my people,
and always will be.
(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman
Venmo: @Thom-Shuman
Monday, September 28, 2026
September 28th
“From there I will give her her vineyards, and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.” Hosea 2:15a
so many valleys—
where grief wears a path
through our hearts,
where hard news comes
far too often,
where we worry that
hope has packed
its moving van.
yet, God always manages
to plant gardens in that soil
we think will only yield tears,
in those trouble-filled hearts
which, by grace, become doors
opening to the forgotten.
so, may doors of hope
open in a child learning
to step out in trust,
in neighbors choosing
to listen and not shout,
in caregiver holding the hand
of the lonely,
in hands which reach over
those walls we build
to keep others out, to welcome
them to our community.
perhaps hope is nothing more
than the door God opens
in the troubled valleys of life,
inviting us to walk through
together.
(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman
Venmo: @Thom-Shuman
so many valleys—
where grief wears a path
through our hearts,
where hard news comes
far too often,
where we worry that
hope has packed
its moving van.
yet, God always manages
to plant gardens in that soil
we think will only yield tears,
in those trouble-filled hearts
which, by grace, become doors
opening to the forgotten.
so, may doors of hope
open in a child learning
to step out in trust,
in neighbors choosing
to listen and not shout,
in caregiver holding the hand
of the lonely,
in hands which reach over
those walls we build
to keep others out, to welcome
them to our community.
perhaps hope is nothing more
than the door God opens
in the troubled valleys of life,
inviting us to walk through
together.
(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman
Venmo: @Thom-Shuman
Sunday, September 27, 2026
September 27th
"'The kingdom of heaven is like . . .'" Matthew 13:44a
the restaurant where there
are no reserved seats
and the hungry do not
need to prove they deserve a table.
the stranger who sees someone
standing alone at a gathering
and invites them to join
the conversation.
the streets where doors
are left unlocked because
neighbors know they are responsible
for the safety of others.
the politician who knows
that power is not a throne
but a towel and basin.
every faith community which asks
‘who is missing?’ and not
who belongs here?’
the bread which is broken
not hoarded and the grace
shared before it is earned.
enemies who realize that
the other has a face, a story,
a struggle, a name.
God’s Beloved Community
breaks through the cracks
of our world—
wherever mercy has the last word,
justice welcomes the forgotten,
love makes up the spare room,
for it does not come
with trumpets and lightning
but when we actually live
as if it is already here.
(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman
Venmo: @Thom-Shuman
the restaurant where there
are no reserved seats
and the hungry do not
need to prove they deserve a table.
the stranger who sees someone
standing alone at a gathering
and invites them to join
the conversation.
the streets where doors
are left unlocked because
neighbors know they are responsible
for the safety of others.
the politician who knows
that power is not a throne
but a towel and basin.
every faith community which asks
‘who is missing?’ and not
who belongs here?’
the bread which is broken
not hoarded and the grace
shared before it is earned.
enemies who realize that
the other has a face, a story,
a struggle, a name.
God’s Beloved Community
breaks through the cracks
of our world—
wherever mercy has the last word,
justice welcomes the forgotten,
love makes up the spare room,
for it does not come
with trumpets and lightning
but when we actually live
as if it is already here.
(c) 2026 Thom M. Shuman
Venmo: @Thom-Shuman
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